Senior Total Rewards Partner
About The Position
The Senior Total Rewards Partner will own Airwallex’s Americas Total Rewards program across the US, Canada, Brazil, and Mexico, with responsibility for compensation, benefits design, and equity programs. As the first Total Rewards team member based in the region, this person will build the Americas operating model while partnering with a small, globally distributed team. The role covers compensation planning and benchmarking, salary structures and geographic differentials, market positioning, merit and bonus cycles, and offer guidance. It also includes designing benefits programs, leading renewals and broker negotiations, and managing transitions with local People Operations partners. The role partners with the global Total Rewards team on US stock plan administration and leads global and regional initiatives, including the Americas equity framework rollout and IPO-readiness work. The partner will use market data, benchmarking, and financial modeling to make recommendations and communicate analysis to leaders, managers, and employees. They will collaborate with Talent Acquisition, People Partners, Payroll, Finance, Legal, Equity, and executive leadership, and establish practical processes and documentation for Americas Total Rewards. The role is based in the San Francisco office on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
Requirements
- At least 5 years of experience in total rewards, compensation, or benefits, including experience supporting employee populations across the Americas.
- Experience owning or building a complete Total Rewards program spanning compensation, benefits, and equity.
- Experience designing benefits programs and managing plan renewals, including broker and insurance carrier negotiations.
- Strong compensation analytics capability, including market benchmarking, salary range architecture, geographic pay differentials, compensation cycles, modeling, and projections.
- Experience making and communicating compensation decisions with senior leaders, People Partners, recruiters, and employees.
- Working knowledge of US equity compensation and stock plan administration, including RSUs, ISOs, ESPP, and vesting mechanics, with the ability to explain concepts plainly to non-specialists.
- Experience at a late-stage private, pre-IPO, or recently public company, particularly through changes to an equity program or increased governance requirements.
- Track record of leading complex Total Rewards projects from design through implementation, aligning stakeholders and influencing without formal authority.
- Strong business partnering, judgment, and communication skills, including confidence to challenge decisions that do not align with strategy, data, or compliance requirements.
- Builder mindset and ability to work independently across time zones without an established local playbook.
Nice To Haves
- Experience supporting multi-region Total Rewards programs where the global framework is set outside the candidate’s own time zone.
- Familiarity with compensation, equity, and HR systems such as Carta, Shareworks, BambooHR, or Workday.
- Experience using survey and benchmarking sources such as Radford, Compensia, Mercer, or Aon.
- Experience with 401(k), ERISA, US pay transparency, benefits compliance, or related US rewards requirements.
- Experience supporting IPO readiness, equity plan governance, tax reporting, or SEC-related considerations.
- Experience building a Total Rewards function or major program from the ground up in a high-growth technology, fintech, or payments company.
Responsibilities
- Own the Americas Total Rewards program across the US, Canada, Brazil, and Mexico, including compensation, benefits design, and equity programs.
- Lead compensation planning, benchmarking, and pay decisions, including salary structures, geographic differentials, market positioning, merit and bonus cycles, and offer guidance.
- Design benefits programs and lead plan renewals, broker negotiations, and transition project management with local People Operations partners.
- Partner with the global Total Rewards team on US stock plan administration, including RSUs, ISOs, ESPP mechanics, vesting, taxation, grant execution, plan governance, and employee communications.
- Lead global and regional Total Rewards projects, including the Americas equity framework rollout and IPO-readiness initiatives, from scoping and design through stakeholder alignment and implementation.
- Use market data, benchmarking, and financial modeling to make recommendations, influence decisions, and explain complex analysis to leaders, managers, and employees.
- Partner with Talent Acquisition, People Partners, Payroll, Finance, Legal, Equity, and executive leadership on compensation, organizational decisions, systems, equity budgets, compliance, and strategy.
- Build practical processes and documentation for Americas Total Rewards and help establish a local operating model.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
No Education Listed
